BA Season 1: 16 and 17 'North'
by The Barracuda
Summary: A new clan has emerged from the country of a certain author's birth, but as Goliath and Elisa discover while on an assignment in the frozen north, not all is well with this family...
1. Default Chapter Title

  
  
16 - "North: Part 1"  
Originally Written: March 15th, 2000  
  
September 26th, 2000  
It was almost eight months now and Elisa Maza was tired, beyond what most could call  
exhausted. Every day, her mirrored image looked back at her and she would often  
ponder just how much weight she had gained since becoming pregnant. A simple strike  
across the calendar page with her pen marked off the days approaching upon her  
expected due date of mid-October. But still, similar to the lingering for a favorite  
holiday, did her yearning to release this child from her body ever remain in the back of  
her mind. Her hands caressed her large stomach, and it seemed her touch would arouse  
her tiny passenger, garnering a kick in response.  
  
She smiled and giggled quietly, as her most superficial complaints washed away with the  
subtle movement of her child. Almost every day now, the baby would make it's presence  
known, sometimes waking her in the middle of the day to be fed. She could feel the  
child resettle itself slightly, as if her womb was too small an asylum from the world it  
was about to join. She gazed one last time into the full length mirror on her door, and  
turned away, a renewed spirit to carry on this pregnancy with a full heart.  
  
And yet, another affliction was forced into her view, as she looked back to the desk she  
had recently added to her giant bedroom, and the pile of folders and paper stacked on the  
dark wooden surface.  
  
After the fifth month of her pregnancy, captain Chavez had ordered her off her regular  
detective work and on to the most boring task she could possibly imagine...desk duty.   
She now spent most of her shifts filling out forms and doing mindless paperwork. A  
further incentive for the birth. Sighing, she slumped into the chair and continued with  
her 'important' work.  
  
****************************************  
  
Though a night had passed, Elisa would barely be able to tell. She again deposited  
herself in front of another desk at the precinct, in the same position of one hand doing it's  
best to support her head, barely keeping the forces of slumber at bay. As if time stood  
still, she remained silent through the rousing commotion of the city's busiest station,  
frozen in place. She purposely ignored her fellow officers, knowing they were having  
much better days than she could ever hope for. Especially Bluestone.  
  
Her partner had been given a temporary replacement and would often come in on his  
break and regale her about his various adventures, running down thieves, breaking up  
drug rings, tracking down murderers, etc, etc, etc. She was becoming rather jealous. She  
would give everything to be back on the streets again, but had one very important reason  
why not to risk her life, as she looked down to her bulging stomach.  
  
As she returned to her work, she noticed Chavez talking to another cop outside her office,  
and within earshot. Elisa shuffled her chair closer.  
  
"...we need that evidence to put this guy away. But it's up in the central RCMP office in  
Ottawa. The court date is in a week and the defense rests on these files and hardcopies.   
We need a registered officer with at least level 6 clearance to release it from their  
custody. Can you spare anybody from your unit?" Chavez questioned a young female  
detective wearing a black leather jacket.  
  
"No, all of them are either on stakeout with the Dracon/Finelli sting or busy elsewhere."  
The red-headed cop replied. "Can't we send a rookie up there?"  
  
"No, this is classified information, sanctioned by the FBI. No rookies have the proper  
clearance. Damn, we need it fast, or our prime suspect could walk." Chavez huffed, her  
graceful features forming a frown.  
  
"I'll go!" A voice called out from the other side of the hallway. Chavez and the detective  
whirled around to see Elisa walking towards them.  
  
The captain immediately started shaking her head. "No way, Maza. You're on desk duty  
until that baby is born." Chavez admonished the raven haired detective.  
  
"Oh come on, it's a simple assignment to pick up evidence in a city that's less than half a  
day's drive away. Besides, you need me. I have level 7 clearance, remember?"  
  
"I don't know, Maza. It's against department procedure, and my personal policy, to send  
pregnant women out on prolonged assignments, besides..."  
  
"Uh, begging your pardon, captain, but this is Elisa Maza we're talking about." The red  
haired detective broke through, cutting her captain off before she could continue. "She's  
one of the city's best and we have no one else available at the moment. We're stretched  
to the limit as it is, and Maza's probably ahead on her paperwork anyway."  
  
Elisa cocked an eyebrow at the captain. "And furthermore, I don't think my husband will  
let me go without him."   
  
Chavez reluctantly broke down as she was double teamed by two young detectives. "All  
right, but your husband will accompany you. That is an order." She walked back into  
her office and left the two women alone.  
  
"Thanks Starr, I owe you."  
  
"Damn straight. You can pay me back by taking me out to dinner with that phantom  
husband of yours." Detective Iliana Starr left Elisa in the hallway and headed for the  
squadroom.  
  
Elisa couldn't hide her smile as it beamed across her face. Now the only hurdle left was  
to convince Goliath.  
  
****************************************  
  
"No."  
  
"What? How can you say that?" Elisa looked at her husband from across the bedroom.   
"I'll be driving to a city less than seven hours away and staying in a pretty posh hotel for  
a couple of days." Elisa's eyes suddenly reduced to a fraction of their lustrous brilliance,  
becoming thin slits of an animosity her husband quite feared. "And since when do I need  
your permission to go anywhere?!!"  
  
Goliath was taken aback by the outburst from his wife, but still remained firm on his  
argument. "You are eight months pregnant, my Elisa, and you should not be driving or  
visiting a strange city for extended periods."  
  
"Goliath," Elisa started as she tugged on her hair, her enraged voice unintentionally  
raising a few octaves above normal, "if I don't get something to do besides fill out forms,  
I'm going to go insane!!" Elisa walked up to her husband and poked a small finger  
directly into his chest. "And guess who I'm going to take it out on..."  
  
Goliath's eyes widened at this fact. He was well aware of how fed up Elisa was getting  
in the advancing months of her pregnancy. She was getting cabin fever something fierce  
and needed a break. He sighed, "All right, Elisa, but I am coming with you."  
  
"Great!!" Elisa hugged her giant love and kissed him on the cheek. "Besides, Chavez  
wouldn't have let me go without you."  
  
The lavender giant slapped his hand to his face, realizing he had been tricked.  
  
"We leave tomorrow night. I hope you like riding in the Fairlane."  
  
****************************************  
  
A narrow pathway, formed by two lanes of beaten asphalt, carved their way into the  
darkness, separated only by a thin golden line. The dense forests beyond the fairlane's  
lights bore what only could be imagined as a gathering place for the creatures of the  
untamed wilds, watching a flame red Ford Fairlane race past them and on into oblivion.  
  
Elisa was at the wheel of her beloved antique, listening to a soft jazz on the CD player,  
and occasionally stealing glances to Goliath in her rearview mirror.  
  
Her husband, much too massive for the front, was forced to fold the passenger seat down  
and rest his legs on top as most of his bulk was confined to the rear bench. He lost  
himself in the pages of an old book, with the pale interior light casting on the browned  
pages. He would frequently take a moment to check on Elisa for any sign of fatigue, but  
found no such sensation. Perhaps it was the excitement of actually being out of the  
precinct and out of her desk, that kept her spirits high.  
  
"Goliath?" Elisa's soft reverence tore him from the swirl of written passages. "We're  
almost at the border." She slowed the car and came to a stop on the side of the road.   
Goliath climbed out, with his best efforts preventing any damage to the steel structure  
and scaled a nearby tree. His form lost to the wind, Elisa continued on to the border  
crossing, and as the patrol officer asked her the usual questions, a massive shadow  
passing overhead raised a curl in her lips.  
  
"Are you carrying any flora and fauna, detective?" The patrol officer's wearied tone  
carried on his rough voice. He had obviously been working too long.  
  
"Uh, no. Nothing like that..." she answered, wondering if Goliath actually fit under the  
fauna category. The officer allowed her access and she sped off, eventually meeting up  
with Goliath a kilometer up the road.  
  
They continued on, and as the forests drained away, the revealing trademark of human  
culture spread forth over the refined landscape. Simple houses and farms swelled into a  
plethora of glistening steel, as if grown from the soft Earth itself. Victorian styling edged  
with emblems of neon tubing, the grand city of Ottawa, Canada, came alive under the  
stars.  
  
Goliath huddled in his seat, trying to obscure himself from scrutinizing human eyes, yet  
at the same time marveling at the sight of this new city. So much like Manhattan yet still  
so different.  
  
****************************************  
  
Sliding back the massive terrace doors, Elisa stepped onto the balcony of her suite,  
located on the fortieth floor of the Carlton-Ritz. Her eyes scanned the heavens for her  
husband, and soon she would gaze upon his unique silhouette against the celestial  
amethyst. His wingspan captured the night air within the sheath of leather, and with a  
rush of wind, he touched down beside her. His wings settled and released the scent of  
ozone and the subtle nuances of Goliath's sweetened musk. She skipped into his  
embrace and led him into their room. "What did I tell you," she whispered as she gently  
laid her self down onto the bed, and turned to her side, "it's nice to get away sometimes."   
She felt the bed sink considerably as Goliath curled up alongside, wrapping his arm and  
wing around her.  
  
"I am forced to admit, I am glad we came."  
  
"Oh, so once again, your human wife was right?"  
  
"I believe Brooklyn's expression is...shut up." he snapped back, a faint trace of an  
underlying humor in his edged brogue. "But I would like to see more of this city, before  
we leave."  
  
****************************************  
  
On the advent of the ensuing evening, a stream of long raven locks floated upon an  
overused bomber jacket, glowing an anemic scarlet pallor in the lights of the East district  
RCMP headquarters. Elisa carried the last load of evidence, her arms full of packages  
with serial numbers on the sides and front and headed to her car, parked on the street half  
a block away. She reached the red classic and opened the passenger door. With a  
strained heft, she threw the envelopes and boxes on the seat, and wiped the sweat from  
her brow. Her strength had been sapped in the late months of pregnancy, and though she  
hated to admit it, she needed to heed Goliath's wish of taking it a little easier.  
  
Her gaze immediately directed skywards, her thoughts once again on her husband, and  
unsure if he was somewhere near. He had taken a scenic aerial tour of the city at Elisa's  
request, for she desperately wanted him to do something besides worry about her.  
  
Closing the car door, she noticed the streets were bare of any life. This particular station  
was lucky enough to be in a peaceful neighborhood. Unaware to Elisa though, that peace  
would be broken very soon.  
  
She didn't hear the footsteps behind her until it was too late. A pair of arms wrapped  
around her, with a broad hand destroying any hope of sending even a muffled cry for  
help. An unbelievable strength forced Elisa to a massive frame, held in place as she tried  
to struggle against a power seemingly impossible for any normal human.  
  
Her skin crawled as a hand moved to her stomach and clenched on the tightened skin, an  
intense, paralyzing fear of any harm coming to her child effectively ending her efforts to  
free herself. Her legs were pulled from the ground, a mistake the stranger made  
unintentionally, unaware that Elisa Maza had one of the best spin kicks in New York  
city. She raised her knee up and using all the force her smaller body could summon,  
cracked her boot against his shin.  
  
The stranger released her and snarling with pain, he staggered backwards, favoring his  
right leg.  
  
Elisa turned and faced him as the pale light from the street cast on his rugged features.  
  
A big man, slightly overweight, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans, was hopping on  
the dirty, concrete floor. A quick recovery brought on a burning fever, as he looked back  
down at his victim. Without saying a word, he grabbed the smaller detective by the  
throat and lifted her to meet his face.  
  
Elisa stared into his eyes. She had seen this look before, being a cop. It was the look of  
anger and hatred, which cost a lot of innocent people their lives. She knew what was  
coming next. That kick to his leg had made him angry. Whatever she had originally  
grabbed her for didn't matter. He was going to kill her.  
  
"Pardon me," through a whispered flow of twilight's hush, the wind carried a scholored  
resonance of finesse and gentility, "I don't believe that is the proper way to treat a lady."   
Around Elisa's attacker, came a shadowed fist, catching his arm with a swift motion.  
  
Perhaps it was the anguish of his trapped forearm that twisted the man's face into a  
nightmare of distorted muscle contraction, yet hidden to Elisa's knowledge was the  
actual fact that he recognized this arm, this hand, this thing. "Oh fuck..."  
  
A darkened blur flashed past Elisa's eyes as her assailant released his hold and she fell to  
the ground on her backside. She immediately covered her stomach and without abandon,  
crawled away to the side of her car. She propped herself against the crimson steel and  
turned her gaze to a feral howl and a tormented scream, erupting forth from an  
assemblage of contorted figures. In the blink of an eye, she perchance missed the final  
blow. The man who dared in an attempt on her life, now slid towards her headfirst and  
tumbled into a heap beside her slightly trembling body. She looked up at the figure now  
directly above her, his features obscured by the absence of light. "Goliath?..."  
  
The large form gazed down upon her, and with a single step, was engulfed in the stream  
of lamplight, causing Elisa to gasp. It was a gargoyle, but it definitely wasn't Goliath. A  
large male, almost as tall as her husband, with golden yellow skin. His wings perched  
high above his shoulders, the thin membranes quivering with even the most subtle gusts  
of wind. He was hairless and had two rows of large spiked spurs starting from his brow,  
running down his back and continuing along his tail. Large spurs erupted from his  
forearms, shoulders and elbows. Three distinct spikes jutted from the sides of his calves  
and his knees. He had only two toes and two fingers set against his thumb and Elisa  
could make out smaller spikes on various parts of his body. A dark leather loincloth, belt  
and vest, held together with black stitching, stretched over a muscled frame. Almost as  
big as Goliath, almost. Yet he looked of grace and dignity and held himself high with a  
well-bred affectation. "No, human," he at last voiced his intentions to the stunned  
female below him with a soothing tone, "I am known as Ares. You...do not fear me?"  
  
"No, no I don't." Elisa answered the yellow gargoyle. "Thank you for saving me."  
  
"You are most welcome." Ares brought his right hand up and clenched his fist to his  
chest, as if some kind of salute. "We know this man well. He has done this many times  
before, and we have stopped him on more than one occasion." He leaned down and  
offered his hand to Elisa.  
  
"So he did recognize you." she replied as she allowed him to help her up. "And here I  
thought Canadians were friendly."  
  
"Please don't judge my country by that one man."  
  
"Don't worry, if I judged my city by all the scumbags I've put away..." As she got to her  
feet, her jacket fell open and revealed her dark gray shirt covering her enlarged stomach.  
  
Ares' eyes grew wide as he stared at Elisa's midsection. "You are with child! You  
should not be out alone at this time of night."  
  
"With child? I'm pregnant, yes, but not helpless. Besides," Elisa reached into her jacket  
and flashed her badge, "I'm detective Elisa Maza from Manhattan's twenty-third  
precinct. I believe I'm capable of holding my own. Well, most of the time."  
  
This brought a smile to the golden gargoyle's features.  
  
"It is still a wise precaution to travel with another." A new voice rang from above. Elisa  
looked up to see a female gargoyle land beside Ares. She was considerably taller than  
the human detective and her white frosted skin glowed underneath a wild ebon tress  
falling over her shoulders, with a braid on the left side. Her brow grew into two large  
L-shaped horns, raising almost nine inches from her head. Eyes of ocean ice and large  
frosted lips, a tight blue tunic covered her shapely body like a second skin, and split all  
the way down, with a darker navy piece in the middle. Light blue stockings covered her  
arms from wrist to mid-bicep, and on her legs, from her ankles to mid-thigh. Her long  
slender tail lashed behind her and her pale blue wings came to rest with a whispered  
swish. "If we had not been patrolling nearby, who knows what could have happened to  
you and your unborn child."  
  
A sigh of annoyance escaped Elisa's lips as she crossed her arms. "Do I look like I'm  
made of glass?!"  
  
"Most definitely not, Mrs. Maza, but I know the importance of keeping my children safe.   
Are their lives worth it for some stubborn sense of pride?" the white gargoyle argued her  
point.  
  
"I guess not. You win." Elisa bowed to mock her new friends. "God, if the Big Guy  
were to know about this..."  
  
"Your mate?" Ares asked the small human.  
  
"Yeah. He's been pretty protective of me since I became pregnant."  
  
"I'm sure he only wants to keep you safe. He sounds like a most caring human."  
  
"Well, actually..." Elisa tried to correct the white gargoyle, but she was interrupted by the   
cry of a siren, as a patrol car briskly pulled up to the building. The two gargoyles  
instantly bolted past her, immersing themselves in the darkness, the brilliance of their  
skin vanquished to the night. "Wait!!" But her cries were too late, her plea falling on an  
empty street. Elisa sighed and unconsciously cupped her stomach. "God, how many  
stray gargoyles are we going to find? First Shadow, then Annika, now these two...I sure  
hope they have their own home. That castle's getting crowded." she joked to herself as  
she walked around the corner and called to the cops who had pulled up to the precinct  
only minutes before. She watched as they hauled the unconscious man away, filed a  
quick report and was soon on her way back to the hotel, and back to Goliath.  
  
****************************************  
  
"You were attacked?!!"  
  
"Yes, Goliath. But I was saved by..." Elisa wouldn't have the chance to finish as the  
lavender giant caught her in a fierce embrace and let loose a sigh.  
  
"I should have been with you," he held tighter to her body, mindful of her stomach, "I  
should have been there to protect you."  
  
"It was a random attack. If it didn't happen to me, it would've happened to someone  
else." She pulled away from him and placed her hands upon the handsome visage she  
had known so well. "But there's something else I need to tell you. I was saved by two  
gargoyles."  
  
Goliath's brow rose. "More gargoyles...in Canada?!"  
  
"Yeah. There's this big yellow one who's covered in spikes. He calls himself Ares. And  
there's a female. She has white skin, blue eyes and the body of Wonder Woman. They  
swooped in and saved the day. But they were scared off by a police siren before I could  
find out where they came from. The female used the word 'we' like there were more  
than two, so..."  
  
"There could be an entire clan here in Ottawa." Goliath finished for her, his mood  
lightening a little. "I...we must find them, to thank them. To see if they need assistance."  
  
"Well, I'm going to finish up my assignment tomorrow and then we can go for a  
midnight glide around town, to see if they're around." Her husband attempted to voice  
his concerns but was immediately silenced by Elisa's hand. "I said,  
I'm...coming...with...you."  
  
Goliath just nodded his head.  
  
****************************************  
  
A labyrinth of darkened hues, spotted with small points of man's light; red, green,  
yellow, orange, blending into a kaleidoscope of a brilliant tapestry, a blinding backdrop  
for two forms gliding over the city's center. Architectural masterpieces they flew past, a  
marvel of modern simplicity, before being replaced by man's technical evolution and his  
creation of the next big thing.  
  
Elisa pillowed herself in the breadth of Goliath's chest and neck as he scanned the night  
sky, holding his fragile passenger tight against a chiseled torso. The couple spent the  
evening hours flying the city's airways, searching, but there was no sign of the gargoyles  
who had saved Elisa the previous night.  
  
"They seemed pretty spooked when the cop car showed up," Elisa solicitously  
commented to Goliath over the howling of the wind. "It's possible they have a damned  
good place to hide when they want to."  
  
Goliath sighed and nodded. "This city is bigger than Manhattan, my Elisa. I doubt we  
shall find them tonight." he rumbled. He angled towards the direction of the hotel, and  
caught a warmer draft, increasing his speed a little.  
  
Elisa found what caused her heart a most distressing pain, as her husband's profound  
disappointment lay evident on his prominence. She wistfully crossed his cheek with a  
touch of her nails. "We'll try tomorrow night, Big Guy." Her ever present confidence  
brought a smile forth and he kissed her on the cheek. She responded by pulling his face  
closer and teasing her tongue against smooth lips tightened by an animal desire, letting  
out a suppressed laugh as she explored his mouth.  
  
Feeling his wife's warmth upon his face, Goliath lost sight of where he was gliding,  
enthralled in the moment of tenderness offered to him above this foreign city. He didn't  
notice another form flying towards them until a flicker of movement flashed from the  
corner of his eye. His arms encased Elisa in a protective cowl and he leaned hard to the  
right, narrowly missing the shadowy form. The large gargoyle went into a barrel roll,  
struggling to maintain his balance and hold on to Elisa at the same time. He spotted a  
rooftop nearby and headed towards it, landing hard on the tarred surface.  
  
"Whoa," Elisa whispered as poked her head from her husband's wings, "now that was  
close..."  
  
"I'll say." An enormous shape landed beside them.  
  
Elisa recognized the large figure. "Ares!"  
  
"Hello again, detective Maza." The golden giant stepped closer and gasped at the sight  
of Elisa's mode of transportation. Goliath and Ares locked eyes, as the lavender warrior  
placed his wife on the ground.  
  
"Goliath, I'd like to introduce you to my rescuer from last night. This is Ares."  
  
Goliath extended his hand to the gargoyle near him and smiled as Ares grabbed his  
forearm. "It is an honor to meet you. I have you to thank for saving my wife."  
  
"Your...wife?!" Ares stepped back and looked at the couple with rather a new  
perspective. "I...had no idea human-gargoyle relations had progressed this far."  
  
"Actually, they haven't." Elisa gently minded him. "We're the only interspecies couple  
we know of. Well, the second..." Elisa thought of Todd and Annika and how their  
relationship had blossomed in the past four months.  
  
"This leads me to another query...ahem..." His golden saffron blended with a crimson  
blush, obviously embarrassed by the question about to be asked. "Since you are married,  
are you...carrying his child?"  
  
"Yup, this little tike's half gargoyle." Elisa joked, while patting her stomach. "And it's  
bloody metabolism is making me eat like a pig." She thought back to last night's room  
service and how she devoured most of the cart, in front of Goliath's astonished gaze.  
  
"That is quite amazing. I never knew any humans could learn to trust our kind."  
  
"There are more than you know." Goliath finally got his chance to speak. "We have met  
a lot of trustworthy humans whom we are privileged to call friend in our time in this  
world, and we hope to have more soon."  
  
"My clan has no human friends. We live isolated from the city." Ares turned towards  
the city, his noble face etched with sadness.  
  
"So there is a clan here." Elisa exclaimed.  
  
"Yes...barely." he cursed, filling two limpid pools of charcoal fury with the lights of his  
protectorate. His voice flowed with sorrow, regretful, as if his own words caused him  
pain. "You met my mate last night, and the others are back at the Grotto."  
  
"May we meet them too?" Elisa asked politely, a crafty smile forming on her lips, hoping  
the golden gargoyle would accept.  
  
He stared at them for a while before managing a slight grin himself. "We would be  
honored to have you visit our home. Please follow me, the Grotto is about twenty  
minutes flight from here, and I want to get there quickly. I've already been away too  
long. Aurora must be worried sick."  
  
****************************************  
  
Beyond the city, and far from the lair of iron monuments and creatures of steel and  
gasoline, lay the outskirts, where a few residential homes were scattered between large  
fields of grass and trees. Ares dipped lower and fell from the sky, in the direction of a  
small cliff, jutting from a hill away from the reach of the houses. Coming to a soft  
landing, he motioned to the couple behind, towards a crack in the rock face, barely  
visible against the jagged edges of earth's crust. It was just large enough to grant Goliath  
access and the couple followed Ares into the swallow of shadows, Elisa allowing her  
husband to guide her with his excellent night vision.  
  
The rocky surface beneath them sloped gradually, and soon the path grew lighter, a soft  
glow brought forth from electric lights attached to the walls. The path eventually opened  
into a massive room, with several doorways leading into darkened chambers. Lush  
greenery, with such exotic plants of wintergreen and snowberry, lined the granite  
barriers, situated in massive planters and smaller pots dangling from the ceiling. A  
collection of furniture beckoned to weary travelers from the center of the room, inviting  
those to rest their feet and a splash of color between the emerald blossoms as paintings  
filled the void of barren rock.  
  
"Welcome to the Grotto." Ares raised his hands to guide Elisa to a large couch, noticing  
her fatigue. She took the cue and made herself as comfortable as she could, with Goliath  
looking at the paintings before him.  
  
"This place is amazing. How did you create all of this?" Elisa asked the golden gargoyle.  
  
"These caves are natural, they've been here for thousands of years, most likely carved by  
natural springs that have since been tapped or have dried up. We removed some rock to  
make living areas and bedrooms and added the electricity and furnishings." Ares looked  
quite proud of himself. "It has been our home for almost twenty years now."  
  
Goliath looked to Elisa and he displayed his fondness for the environment around him  
with a simple nod.  
  
"Ares?" a husky female voice called through the caves, distorting her diction as if a prism  
fracturing shafts of light. "Is that you?" The three turned to an archway as a white  
gargoyle came through. "Ah, you have returned, and with our human friend." Her gaze  
on Elisa, she passed by Goliath, opposite her position and beyond her line of sight. "It's  
good to see you again, Mrs. Maza. I'm glad to see you are all right. Welcome to our  
home."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The white gargoyle jumped at a deep rumble behind her and whirled around. Goliath had  
approached her, and she slowly raised her eyes and gasped, bringing her hand to her  
chest. "Who are you?" she whispered.  
  
"My name is Goliath." The lavender warrior bowed to kiss her hand. "You have a  
beautiful home here."  
  
"Another gargoyle," her words flowed on a quiver of air, as her eyes of ice welled up,  
"we thought we may be the last of our race." She placed her white hand on his shoulder,  
almost trembling, before her brow came down. "Wait, what are you doing with..." She  
turned to face Elisa, who smirked and patted her stomach. "...oh, my."  
  
"Elisa is my wife." Goliath answered the question most likely running through her mind.  
  
"Oh my...I...well, this is a shock." She turned even whiter. "And the child you are  
carrying is half gargoyle?"  
  
Elisa just nodded. The detective always loved the expression on the faces of those who  
found out about her and Goliath's little secret.  
  
She allowed herself a mere moment of recomposure before turning to her guests and  
clenching her fist in front of her chest. "My name is Aurora. I am second-in-command  
of this clan. Please allow me to introduce you to the others." With a stride that belied  
her stature, she drifted as if a wraith to a small panel on the far wall, and with a simple  
tap, it crackled to life. Aurora called three names too quiet to make out.  
  
Elisa curled into Goliath's lap as he sat beside her, and they quickly turned their gaze to  
the echoes of footsteps coming from another doorway. The Mazas were met with three  
new arrivals, gracing the room with a medley of brightened hues, come to life on the  
hides of three gargoyles.  
  
The first was a young girl, who appeared to be sixteen years of age, with an emerald  
green skin that flushed with a cerulean tint when caught in the precise angle of light. Her  
webbed wings extended from her wrists to her knees, with extra struts to hold the light  
colored membranes. Shoulder length brown hair with long blond bangs, and two large  
horns rising from her locks, curling over to the back of her head. She had large violet  
eyes and used matching lipstick. She was dressed in a one piece orange suit that clung to  
her slender body and stood out from her skin.  
  
"This is Rain. She's the youngest of our clan."  
  
The young gargess came to a halt and stared at Goliath, almost choking on her tongue as  
she scanned the lavender giant from head to toe.  
  
The next in line looked to be a walking scowl with dulled orange skin, his beaked mouth  
displaying an angst similar to all human teenagers. He stood more than six feet tall and  
resting over his shoulders lay two dark wings, a grayish coloring fading into a deep black.   
A pair of skiing goggles partially obscured his deep chestnut dreadlocks, tied back by a  
strip of leather, and his four brow spurs, ending in sharpened points. He wore a simple  
torn loincloth and padded gloves that came to his spiked elbows, with similar kneepads  
and binded wrappings on his ankles and feet. Carved into each shoulder, two distinct  
tattoos, one a thick, black outline of a maple leaf, the other a cryptic tribal design. His  
quadruple spiked tail lashed violently between his legs as he almost bumped into Rain,  
causing his sneer to grow even bigger.  
  
"This is Thrash."  
  
Bringing up the rear, with a slight limp in his aged gait, a larger gargoyle, wearing a  
seasoned countenance of wisdom and experience. Dark azure skin, branded with both  
small and massive battlescars, everywhere from his arms, legs, tail, and even his face.   
His long brown hair, going gray at the temples and his goatee, fell behind in layered  
strands with two mammoth horns erupting from his forehead, then rising at a ninety  
degree angle. He wore a tan tunic, with black shoulder pads, ringed with gold. Tan  
wrappings covered his arms and legs yet did nothing to hide his wounds. His weathered  
wings were tattered and hung limply behind him. A massive gleaming double-sided ax,  
in a holster on the left side of his sable leather belt, an instrument of battle and war, yet  
seemingly out of place aside his kind smile and gentle mannerisms.  
  
"And this is Magellan."  
  
Elisa leaned forwards, as her scrutinizing examination caught the glaring similarity  
between the elder's eyes and Aurora's. A frosted blue, gleaming with the light.  
  
"My clan, this is Goliath and his...mate, Elisa Maza." Three mouths dropped open at  
Aurora's statement.  
  
"Another gargoyle?" Rain whispered to her older brother.  
  
"Another gargoyle, with a human." Thrash's beaked mouth at last curved into somewhat  
of a sardonic grin.  
  
"And if I'm not mistaken, that human is pregnant." Magellan added, a hardened tone  
marked with an acerbic scoff.  
  
"God, how many times do I have to explain this?" Elisa half-joked as she shook her head.  
  
"So...that's your kid in there?" Rain asked Goliath as she crept closer.  
  
"Yes. It is our first child together and it's due in a month." Goliath answered as the  
diminutive gargess approached the couple.  
  
"Where do you come from?"  
  
"Manhattan, New York."  
  
"New York?! I've always wanted to see the Big Apple. Is it just as big as Ottawa? Have  
you seen the statue of Liberty? Is it just as beautiful as I thought?" the young gargoyle  
shot off her questions as she sat down beside them.  
  
"Big deal," Thrash spit out with an air of malice, as he crossed his arms and leaned in the  
archway, "just another city filled more humans."  
  
"Thrash..." Ares admonished the scowling gargoyle.  
  
"So," Elisa started, trying to change the subject, "is this all of your clan?"  
  
The Canadian clan went instantly silent. Rain sunk into herself, her skin pallor becoming  
as pale as her expression. Ares came up to Aurora and wrapped his arms around her, as  
she buried her face in his shoulder.  
  
"Well, one more point for my big mouth. I'm sorry."  
  
"No. Don't be, Elisa." Ares spoke softly. "It's just old, painful memories coming to the  
surface. The rest of our clan...were destroyed more than twenty five years ago. For  
generations, over seventy gargoyles had lived in the mountains near this city, co-existing  
peacefully with the humans. We lived a good life, until...the night of the massacre. A  
large group of cloaked men attacked our home. We were caught off guard and they  
overwhelmed us with powerful weapons. They killed gargoyle after gargoyle, including  
our leader and second. Magellan saved the four of us, and got us to safety. But it was  
too late to save any of the others. We returned the next night to search through the ruins,  
but found no survivors..." Ares closed his eyes and gritted his fanged teeth. "We  
dedicated our lives to protecting the innocent and were repaid with genocide. Since then,  
we have lived here, away from those who would want to hurt us."  
  
"I am sorry, my friend." Goliath held tighter to Elisa as he conveyed his deepest  
apologies to the golden gargoyle. "I know exactly how you feel. My clan..."  
  
"HOW THE HELL COULD YOU UNDERSTAND?!!!" Thrash's angry cry echoed off  
the walls. "You weren't forced to watch as your brothers and sisters and parents were  
slaughtered in front of you!!"  
  
Goliath rose from his seat, standing to his full seven and a half feet height, and glared at  
the younger gargoyle, who cautiously stepped back from the wrath of seven hundred  
pounds. "My clan was destroyed over a thousand years ago. There were only six  
survivors out of over one hundred. I came home to their shattered forms laying in ruin  
around the remains of the castle I called home. We were betrayed by those who had  
protected us for years. So, Thrash, I do have some idea of what you went through."  
  
The orange gargoyle just thinned his eyes and moved to the far side of the room,  
grumbling a muted curse under his breath.  
  
"I must apologize for him." Aurora sighed. "Both he and Rain were only hatchlings  
when the massacre arose. I don't think that pain ever goes away."  
  
"No it doesn't..." Rain agreed with an anguished whisper.  
  
"You said your clan was destroyed over a thousand years ago." Magellan came forward,  
curiosity on his tone. "How is it you survived for all these years?"  
  
"By way of a magic spell, we were sealed within our stone forms for over ten centuries,  
until David Xanatos broke the spell, releasing us six years ago..."  
  
The story of a thousand years, told a thousand times, would again enchant those of his  
race. He weaved his stories, like a spider and her web, catching the attention and  
imaginations of the clan before him. He continued with the long tale of how he and the  
survivors made their way through this new world as twilight faded into the advent of  
dawn, with the Ottawa clan hanging on his every word.  
  
****************************************  
  
Skin of snow flushed with a warmth upon her newfound friend's eloquent words. "You  
found your children after a thousand years," Aurora whispered, a simple utterance of joy  
and contentment, her eyes quickly darting to a doorway near her, "your eggs survived."  
  
"Yes, by virtue of the humans who once thought of us as monsters." Goliath answered  
her, an intrigue swept over him at the focus of Aurora's gaze. "They were raised in  
safety on Avalon, away from the prejudice of humankind."  
  
"I hope our egg will be raised safely."  
  
"Your egg?" Goliath sat up, almost knocking Elisa from his embrace. "You have a  
rookery?"  
  
"Yes, though it only holds one egg," Ares answered, "Aurora's and my child."  
  
Elisa rebalanced her stead, propping herself up on Goliath's lap. "May we see it?"  
  
"Of course, my friend. Follow me." Aurora led the others to the doorway, and past the  
granite arch, a narrow set of stairs descended into darkness. Goliath and Elisa followed  
carefully the white gargoyle, as they entered into a small chamber, far beneath the rest of  
the caves. It was hot, damp, as condensation clung to the walls, slowly trailing down the  
unmined minerals buried beneath millions of years of ancient sediment. An  
unremarkable room, apart from a glint of steel situated quite comfortably within the  
exact central point, surrounded by stacks of crisp hay. An incubator, with heat lamps and  
transparent plexiglass protecting it's precious contents.  
  
An egg. A gargoyle egg. More than a foot in diameter and a dark ivory coloring, mottled  
with lavender spots. Goliath moved closer, a flood of emotion from his dark past,  
haunted by the image of his own eggs within Wyvern's rookery. Elisa reached out  
through the opening in the surface, and gingerly, hesitantly, but with Ares' urging, her  
soft fingers traced upon the smooth curved surface.  
  
"It will hatch very soon." Aurora whispered.  
  
"I've never seen a gargoyle egg before. You hatched from one of these?" Elisa asked her  
giant husband, gaining a smile in return.  
  
"It is healthy," Goliath placed forth his most trusted assurance, "you will have a strong  
child."  
  
"I have no doubt about that," replied Ares, "I'm just worried about the world we are  
bringing it into." He quickly glanced at a clock on the wall and noticed most of the night  
had drained away. "It is almost dawn. We would be pleased if you were to stay here for  
the day."  
  
The couple graciously accepted and Elisa was shown a room with a small bed near the  
wall. Goliath lay the sheets over his wife and placed the softest embrace of his lips upon  
her skin, while watching her eyes flutter closed, her world dissolving into the light repose  
of dream's dominion. Dark eyes of cinder black gazed down upon Elisa's sleeping form,  
her slender body encased in white cotton sheets, craving for all the rest it could gather,  
feeding her unborn child. With one last sweep of a taloned hand through her glistening  
ebony locks, Goliath left with the others as they took their place in the rookery, forming a  
protective ring around the egg, and turned to stone with the rising sun.  
  
****************************************  
  
The next evening, Elisa and Goliath were treated to a large breakfast. They consumed  
the finest of organically grown fruits and vegetables, as the others went about an  
engorgement of chosen duties, made so to maintain their fragile environment. Aurora  
was in the rookery, turning the egg and checking for any premature cracking. Ares and  
Magellan inspected the power generator and made sure all the equipment was running  
smoothly. Rain had the task of watering all the plants that decorated their underground  
home. Thrash busied himself by cleaning up.  
  
After their meal, the couple received the rare chance to explore the Grotto. What was  
thought to be just a hole in the ground, opened into miles of unfinished tunnels,  
stretching into the farthest reaches of the Earth. Beyond sheer rock walls and cliffs  
above endless pits, the home of the Canadian clan was a marvel of what wizardry nature  
could conjure from a simple stream of water.  
  
Lead by the soft hum of machinery, they came upon the room where the main generator  
was located. A massive dynamo, harnessing the energy to provide power for the Grotto,  
endlessly toiled into the night. They drew nearer to the edge of the doorway, and spotted  
Ares and Magellan involved in an intense dialogue, with the expression on the golden  
gargoyle's features incensed enough to keep them from entering. Raised voices crossed  
between them, yet the couple couldn't tell if they were just trying to overcome the  
powerful roar of the machines.  
  
"...you were chosen for a reason, Ares." Magellan's rugged voice cut through the  
unceasing noise.  
  
"I was only picked because I was with him when he died." Ares argued back. "I have no  
idea why he chose me to lead this clan."  
  
"You're honest, strong, fair...you were, and still are, the best choice."  
  
"You should have been the leader. You are older, wiser, and have way more  
experience."  
  
"I am a warrior, not a leader." Magellan sighed. "Besides, you have done an excellent  
job so far. You've kept us safe for the last twenty years."  
  
"By forcing my family to live underground and hiding them away from the rest of  
society! I'm sick of living like an animal just because if what I am!" He stood up and  
ran a hand down one side of his anguished face, fighting back a need to scream out his  
swallowed pain. He heaved out a breathless response, "I don't know if I can do this  
anymore." He hurriedly left the room, leaving Magellan to shake his head.  
  
Goliath and Elisa shot each other worried looks, with a growing feeling that this clan's  
outside friendly appearance may be a carefully guarded mask of something brewing  
beneath. They continued on until they came to the rookery, and once again, voices  
captured their attention. Female voices, with a growl of grievance carried on every word.   
  
Rain had joined Aurora as she cared for the egg, and found her maternal protector  
disagreeing with a newfound discovery. "How long were you going to wait until you told  
me about these humans you are seeing?!"  
  
"They're my friends. They're not like the others." Rain defended herself.  
  
"I don't like you seeing them. Can they be trusted?"  
  
"Yes. They've welcomed me and don't treat me any different."  
  
"I still don't like you going out by yourself, without any protection." Aurora was trying  
not to make herself any angrier than she was becoming.  
  
"I don't need protection. Besides, there's someone else here who needs you more than  
me..." Rain pointed towards the incubator.  
  
"Please Rain, for you're own safety, don't go out with these humans. I won't allow you  
to..."  
  
"You can't tell me what to do!! YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!!!" Rain screamed at the  
top of her lungs and ran up the stairs, narrowly missing Goliath and Elisa and heading for  
the Grotto exit, tears streaming from her young face.  
  
Elisa turned to see Aurora stagger backwards, eventually losing her balance and falling to  
her knees, with her hands to clasped to her face.  
  
Goliath tried to go after Rain but was held back by an clawed hand of burnt amber.  
  
Thrash appeared to the side, and started shaking his head. "She doesn't need anybody's  
help right now, trust me."  
  
Goliath looked helplessly at the youth but heeded his wish. As the young girl's sobbing  
cries faded from earshot, Ares and Magellan spilled into the main room.  
  
"What's all the commotion?" the golden leader asked.  
  
"Rain has had an...altercation with your mate and ran off crying." Goliath explained in  
lieu of Thrash's silence.  
  
"Not again," Magellan groaned, "it must be about her human friends."  
  
"Her what?!" Ares whirled to face the dark blue gargoyle. "You knew she had human  
companions? No matter. We must find her."  
  
"She's fine," Thrash chuffed, "she just needs to blow off steam."  
  
"I do not want her out there alone, especially in her condition."  
  
"She's old enough to take care of herself. And I'm not a fucking baby-sitter."  
  
"I beg your pardon." Ares' eyes flashed white with fury. "You will accompany me to  
help find your sister."  
  
"I don't think so pal." Thrash moved towards the path that led to the outside. "She's  
been out there on her own hundreds of times and doesn't need us crowding her."  
  
"Thrash, wait..." Ares tried to stop his adopted charge.  
  
"Stuff it, Ares. I don't need to hear your 'gargoyles protect all' bullshit. I don't give a  
damn about most of the humans on this planet, let alone this stupid city. I'm sick of  
being stuck in some cave while life passes us by, and I'm sick of you and Aurora being  
too damned afraid to leave this hole." He started up the path and disappeared from sight.   
"Some leader..."  
  
Ares slowly turned, lost in the bitter words of an angered youth, realizing his greatest fear  
of failing the last remaining survivors of his family. As if he had been violently struck,  
his entire body physically shuddered, and he leaned against the wall for support.  
  
Magellan sighed and flopped on the couch, leaving Goliath to wonder if this clan could  
be saved before they ripped themselves apart... 


	2. Default Chapter Title

  
  
17 - "North: Part 2"  
Originally Written: March 15th, 2000  
  
'YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!!!' An angry cry of a child's pain, scornful words that  
could instantly shatter a caretaker's faith in themselves and their abilities. Aurora  
kneeled upon the floor of the rookery, her vision stained with the salty warmth of an  
anguish made flesh. A pool of moisture gathered beneath her, her own tears creating an  
endless flow down her cheeks, and falling far to the stone below. And as she sobbed, her  
body shook violently. Never had she wailed like this before, ever since finding the  
slaughtered remains of her clan in their former home twenty five years ago. Her  
emotional guard had at last broken down.  
  
Elisa had slowly come down the steps, in an attempt to console her newfound friend.   
Her own slender form took hold of Aurora's, and she held tight, endeavoring to stop the  
convulsions rippling throughout her tensed gargoyle body. "It's all right," she whispered,  
trying to convince her friend of what she blamed upon herself, "she didn't mean it, she  
was just angry."  
  
"No. She's right, I'm not her mother." Aurora answered between sobs. "Her biological  
parents were killed a long time ago. I have no business trying to tell her what to do."  
  
"You raised her for more than twenty years and you're the closest thing to a mother she's  
got. I know she didn't mean to hurt you like that."  
  
"I love her so much. I was only worried about her being with humans, especially after  
what happened to our clan."  
  
"You can't keep her away from humankind the rest of her life. She wants to experience  
all the world has to offer, including the humans who live here." Anxious eyes directed  
Elisa's way, and the calm azure drifts of the ocean met the soft earth tint of chocolate.  
"Yes, I know, gargoyles trusting humans is risky, but life without risk is an empty  
challenge, no spark, no fire, no fun. She wants...she needs, friends her own age, to hang  
out with, talk to, confide in..."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Trust me on this one. I know better than anybody the depths humanity can sink to. I've  
watched as my husband and his family have been lied to, chased, attacked, and almost  
killed many times by those who fear them. But I have also watched as many of my  
family and friends come to trust your kind, and sometimes even call them love."  
  
"I just worry about her. This world can be so savage. Whenever I sleep, whenever I  
close my eyes, I see the dead bodies of my brothers and sisters, surrounding my very soul,  
calling, screaming, tearing at my spirit. I will not allow that happen to Rain or Thrash.   
They are the only children left in the clan. If anything happened to either one of them, I  
wouldn't know how to go on."  
  
"Life is risk, remember? You have to trust them to do the right thing." Elisa argued her  
point, as Aurora's trembling body relented to her soothing touch.  
  
Her head had been placed near Elisa's enlarged stomach, and with her great hearing,  
could detect two distinct heartbeats within. A new life just beyond her fingertips, so  
much like her own child, still awaiting to be born. She drew deep breaths to control  
herself and raised slowly to her feet, all the while, grasping Elisa's hand in her own,  
unwilling to let go just yet. "I suppose you are ultimate proof of the compassion and  
decency in humans. Maybe...maybe we have been down here too long."  
  
"Maybe..." Elisa agreed, catching sight of her husband's shadowed figure in the archway  
above. Within the periphery of darkness, his smile broke through, settling upon her  
desires and dreams, and she knew his attention must be turned somewhere else just now.  
  
Goliath set his sights on Ares, the golden leader so much like him, but now forced to  
watch as his clan was being forcefully ripped apart by a painful memory, reluctant to  
release it's heavy hold on their hearts. He was pacing around the room, with Magellan  
watching from the couch. A strange look creased his saffron brow, a look of worry and  
anger. "I can't believe he said that..." he uttered quietly, and partly hoping it was to  
himself.  
  
It wasn't. "Perhaps what he said was partly true." Magellan sneered.  
  
"How can you say that?!" Ares stopped short and glared at the elder. "He just spit on our  
entire race and our sole purpose in life. And he refused to help find his sister!"  
  
"What he said about protecting the innocent may have been out of line, but his words  
about you and our clan had a bit of truth behind it." Magellan rose slowly from the  
couch, and limped towards Ares. "You have shied away from your responsibilities as  
leader."  
  
"I never wanted to be leader..."  
  
"It doesn't matter what you want!! It matters what is best for the clan. And they need  
you, more than you can possibly imagine. They need to get out of here, out of this  
damned cave, with you to lead the way. I am happy to spend my life here, but they are  
just children. They have many years ahead of them, and need to live life to it's fullest."   
Magellan's features softened slightly as he placed his scarred hand on Ares' spiked  
shoulder. "You've done a fine job until now; created our new home, rebuilt our  
destroyed machines from the hills, turned a cave of moss into a healthy garden which  
feeds us, supplied power and running water to the Grotto and rookery...but now, you have  
a more important task to attend to. Your little hatchlings have grown up, and they need  
something different. Thrash spends most of the Winter months on the ski hill, and Rain  
always takes extra time to patrol when she is really spending time with her human  
friends."  
  
"I...never knew how much they loved being out in the world. I guess I've unintentionally  
imprisoned them here in an attempt to protect them..."  
  
"Yes, I would say that's true. I've watched the last couple of years as this family has  
grown apart. I didn't risk my big blue behind to save your lives only to have this clan  
destroyed from within. Now getting back to the matter at hand, why don't you act like  
the leader you are and let's go find your children."  
  
"But Aurora..."  
  
"...is being taken care of Elisa. You know, the human." Magellan answered in the most  
sarcastic voice he could muster.  
  
Ares sighed and looked down. "You are right as always, my old friend." He straightened  
to his full height, his sharpened spurs almost seeming to burst even further from his skin  
and glow despite his dulled complexion. "We must find them." He looked over his  
shoulder to Goliath, who during the conversation had pried away from what he thought  
was a private family affair. "I don't wish to impose on our guests, Goliath, but, we could  
use your help to find my children. This city is rather large."  
  
A sense of duty and protection gained strength upon his friend's plea for help and Goliath  
swiftly nodded his head. "Of course."  
  
"Thank you. Well, let's get going. The three of us have a lot of ground to cover."  
  
****************************************  
  
The search had continued for hours, spreading abroad beyond even Ottawa's seizure of  
the land with claws come alive of steel and iron, yet Goliath persevered in his quest. He  
had split from the group to cover more area, and headed over the East side, filling his  
palate on the feast of breathtaking scenery tendered by this grand city. Over a busy  
street, with hundreds of people littering the sidewalks, he glided on, noticing a rhythmic  
cadence pound upon the strands of air which carried his form.  
  
He looked below, where a crowd had gathered outside a building, surrounded by a  
spectrum of spotlights reaching into the furthest extent of the heavens. The sound grew  
even louder and he could finally make out, in his mind, a twisted distortion of throbbing,  
head-ache inducing, noise.  
  
A low thumping of techno music, drowning out the sounds of the city. A dance club. He  
had heard the trio talk about them often. The rooftop above the bar concealed within it's  
darkened corners a lone occupant, with shimmering skin of emerald green. He smiled  
and dove down, and with a flap of his massive wingspan, slowed his speed sufficiently to  
barely mark the surface with his passing. It was Rain, leaning on the edge, watching  
human after human enter beneath. He slowly crept up and within a couple of feet of her  
smaller form, she cocked her head slightly and sighed.  
  
"I wondered how long it would take one of you to find me." she said through hushed lips.  
  
Goliath came up beside her, his towering stature and immense bulk dwarfing the tiny  
female by his stead, and placed eyes of charcoal upon the street, attempting to discover  
what had so absorbed her interest. "I've never understood what the younger generation  
sees in those places." he remarked, his voice tinged with playful witticism.  
  
"I guess being an adult, and being from the tenth century, you wouldn't understand." she  
whispered quietly, as she placed her head on her hands.  
  
Goliath nodded, realizing her desire to be included in her own age group's diverse  
entertainment. He stayed silent for a long time, until placing forth his best effort to begin  
a conversation with the tight-lipped female, "I hear you have friends outside of your  
clan."  
  
"Yeah," she replied, feeling the need to pronounce her pain to someone other than an  
empty rooftop, "there's three of them. Bobby, Terri and Anna. I met them more than a  
year ago and they've never treated me any different. I can't believe Aurora wouldn't  
even let me be with them."  
  
"She is only trying to keep you safe."  
  
"Yeah, by taking my entire life away." Rain huffed and closed her eyes.  
  
"I believe she is only trying to prevent what happened to her twenty five years ago from  
occurring again." Goliath pressed on. "She witnessed her clan's destruction and now she  
is trying to protect the last survivors."  
  
"I WAS THERE!!!" Rain shrieked, turning to face Goliath, her once innocent features  
rife with hostility. "I also witnessed my clan's destruction!! I was forced to watch as my  
parents were slaughtered in front of me!! And now Aurora's killing me...by keeping me  
from my friends...from the world..." She clenched her fists and choked back her sobbing,  
forcing her body to mind her wishes of containing the coming tears in front of Goliath.  
  
"She has been through more than you could realize. In one night, she lost the family she  
grew up with. In her eyes, the future of the clan and perhaps, her entire race. She took it  
upon herself to raise you almost all your life, and did nothing I suspect, but care and love  
you all those years." He noticed the young gargess' eyes welling up as she stood in front  
of her, appearing smaller than ever before. "The last time I saw her, she was wailing into  
Elisa's shoulder on the floor of the rookery."  
  
This statement stunned the small female, her brow raising in astonishment. "Aurora  
cried? The ice queen actually cried? I've never seen Aurora cry, not since we went back  
to the mountains after the massacre."  
  
"I suspect she didn't want her young children to see any weaknesses. She needed to be  
strong for your sake, and tried to put the destruction of your clan behind her for two very  
important reasons, and now...three very important reasons."  
  
"The egg."  
  
"Yes. It will hatch very soon, and the child will need the guidance of an older sister."  
  
"Oh god." The young female crossed her arms, covering most of her body with her  
wings. "I yelled at her. The things I said..."  
  
"Can be apologized for. She loves you very much, and desperately needs your presence  
in her life. In the last twenty years, you became her daughter. Even though you are not  
of her flesh and blood, you are her daughter in all the ways that count. All gargoyles care  
for their children." Goliath instinctively stepped forward, but paused, his guarded  
emotional reserve stopping him cold. Yet she would reach out towards his warmth, and  
placed her diminutive form against his chest, barely coming to above his sculpted  
abdomen. A small smile leaked through his lips, as his wings released from his shoulders  
and wrapped around them both. He caressed her cinnamon locks with a massive taloned  
hand, holding the small gargoyle tightly in his arms. "We should get back to the Grotto,  
I'm sure Aurora is very worried."  
  
"She's always worried." Rain joked, wiping away the last of her tears. "Thanks,  
Goliath."  
  
"To help a family who's lives have mirrored my own painful past, is my duty, my  
honor...and my pleasure."  
  
****************************************  
  
Ares flew on, his onyx eyes scanning, searching for any of his children, yet found no  
trace of them in the deep catacombs and hollows of this city's suffocating architecture.   
The words of his clan resounded within his mind and he wondered if they were right. For  
twenty five years he had tried to do his best to lead his clan, but they were still where  
they left off. Hidden away from humankind, afraid to trust anyone, scared to give  
humans yet one more chance to redeem themselves. But he knew not all humans were  
like those who destroyed his family, Elisa being the best example he could think of. A  
human and a gargoyle. He still had trouble with that concept, though in his own  
impending fatherhood, he wished them the best life could offer.  
  
He eventually reached the river that flowed on the city's end, the water reflecting the  
stars in a stream of a celestial masquerade. Near the docks where his gaze fell, he found  
a strange sight on a pier that bustled with activity, despite the hours past the province of  
the waking world. A ship had docked and a veritable legion of humans were unloading  
crates using the massive crane on the stern. And above, where used wooden boxes were  
left to rot on higher section of a warehouse, lay a splash of orange surrounded by the dull  
gray of bare metal walls.  
  
Thrash had made himself comfortable in the embrace of a cargo net, strung between the  
smokestacks, laying face up and watching the ever drifting constellations pass by his dark  
eyes. He was engrossed by the stars, oblivious to Ares' form setting down several yards  
away. "I've been looking for you." he called from afar, and watched as the youth  
scrambled to get a proper footing in the net, raising himself up to discover the source of  
the voice.  
  
"Who?!" Thrash looked to Ares' direction. "Oh, Ares. It's only you. Don't you have a  
city to protect or something?"  
  
"I've been searching Ottawa for hours for you and Rain. We were worried."  
  
"What the hell for? We're old enough to take of ourselves and don't need your help."   
Thrash looked back to the sky, his scowl growing ever steadily on his lips.  
  
"That's not what I came here for. I wanted to know if you were safe, and...to apologize."  
  
Thrash peeked over his shoulder to Ares' sheepish expression, his attention now centered  
on his adoptive father. "Apologize? Now this I gotta hear."  
  
"You're right, I kept you and Rain hidden away in a feeble endeavor to safeguard your  
lives. You both have every right to live your lives any way you want, even if it means  
leaving the safety of the Grotto and taking your place in human society."  
  
"Uh...thanks, I guess."  
  
"Since we're on the subject of humans, do you have any friends outside of our race?"  
  
Thrash hopped from his makeshift hammock and faced the golden gargoyle. "Yeah, a  
few. I met them at the hill. A couple of skiers and snowboarders who enjoy the slopes  
late at night."  
  
"I see..." Ares looked to the ground. "Do you trust them?"  
  
Thrash looked away, letting his silence instead speak for him.  
  
"Did you truly mean what you said before? That you do not care for any humans at all?"  
  
"Nah, I was just mad. I guess I'm getting sick of protecting those who'd rather kill us,  
night after night. All we get in return is a scream of terror."  
  
"We do not protect because of what we might be rewarded with, we protect because of  
what we are. Gargoyles keep the innocent safe. It's been that way for decades, centuries,  
millennium. Entire lifetimes have been spent in devotion to our obligation, protecting  
those who cannot protect themselves."  
  
"Maybe to you..." Thrash crept closer, thinning his eyes. "The humans can take care of  
themselves. They have built their own world without our presence. They have those to  
save them from muggers and thieves and those to put out their fires. I don't need to risk  
my life for some ungrateful bastard who would rather see me destroyed while I sleep!"  
  
"That is precisely why we need to show them that they have nothing to fear from us, that  
we have dedicated our lives to protecting."  
  
"Tried that once remember?! We thought we lived in peace with them twenty five years  
ago, until they killed our family!"  
  
"That group did not represent the rest of humankind. Take Elisa for example. And the  
others that have befriended the Manhattan clan. We can't give up, and I have realized I  
have been wrong to hide away from humans. We must step up our patrols. We must  
prove that we are not here to hurt them..."  
  
"And what if they never accept us?!"  
  
"Your friends have, or were you just lying to me?" Ares grew a smug grin, knowing he  
had outthought his quick-mouthed charge.  
  
Thrash huffed and scowled at the golden leader. "Yeah, whatever..."  
  
"I promise that I will not hover over you any more. You are free to live as you want..."   
A smile flashed on Thrash's face, but Ares continued before the young gargoyle received  
from this conversation, the wrong idea. "But, as long as you are under my roof, you will  
patrol with our clan. We must prove ourselves to the humans, no matter what the cost, or  
we will forever be treated like we don't have the right to exist."  
  
"But..." Thrash tried to protest, yet stopped himself when he noticed Ares step forward  
and draw to his full height.  
  
"I gave you an order, Thrash, as leader of our clan." The night sky lit up with a  
gargoyle's fury, a platinum wrath tearing from his eyes and a chiseled frame convulsing  
every muscle beneath the stretched skin. "And you will listen to every single word I say.   
Got it?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Now let's go home. We can check in with Aurora before going out to find your sister."   
Ares hopped to the side of the roof and extended his wings.  
  
"Uhm, Ares..." Thrash came up beside him, his expression that of one searching for the  
correct words to unwillingly expose his gratitude. "Thanks for coming after me. And I  
really didn't mean those things I said back at the Grotto. Archimedes made the right  
choice when he chose you to replace him."  
  
"Thank you, my son. I'm think I'm beginning to figure that out myself..." he replied,  
with a quick glance behind him. But before the chance to launch themselves into the  
night air arose, a loud snap and a thundering crash ripped past them in the wind's sudden  
rush. They both looked down towards the cargo ship, and an entanglement of torn  
netting hanging from the crane met their helpless gaze. The crates had been too heavy  
for the overused ropes, and finally gave way under the intense pressure. Barely a thread  
grasped to the last of the boxes that had not fallen to the ground.  
  
Thrash snapped his stare down, to a human, trapped under several smaller crates, now  
nothing but shattered remains of jagged splinters. "Shit, if the rest of those boxes fall,  
that guy will be crushed."  
  
"No he won't..." Ares threw himself into the realm of frigid northern ether, and with the  
swiftness of an eagle, centered his suicidal flight on his prey.  
  
Left on the building's edge, Thrash could only watch as the last fibers clinging together  
broke their hold, setting free their heavy content. "ARES!!!" he screamed out, as instinct  
took over, and he recklessly followed the flightpath of the spiked gargoyle.  
  
The others had gathered to the side, unable to reach their co-worker fast enough, faces  
cast with horror and dread. The trapped man looked up only as the boxes came closer,  
burying his form in their frightening shadow. Time around him slowed virtually to a  
stop, a slow motion blur, as the crates beared down upon the wounded human, his eyes  
squeezing shut, to hide from the hand of fate and it's sickening sense of humor.  
  
Suddenly, there was a loud thump on the cement. His eyes fluttered open, perhaps once  
too scared to look, but now too afraid to die without seeing firsthand, the face of death.   
His blurred vision captured nothing but a flash of golden hide. As his eyes cleared, he  
turned his gaze to see a large figure, standing over him, holding the wooden crates up  
with his bare hands. He was obviously straining at the immense weight.  
  
Ares bit his lip and gritted fanged teeth together, as his arms almost separated from their  
sockets. "Thrash!!"  
  
From nowhere, the orange gargoyle flew in, skidded to a halt, and grabbed the man,  
gently pulling him from the wreckage. As soon as the two were out of the way, Ares  
released his load and the boxes slammed to the ground. Thrash helped the man to the  
others, who had come rushing to meet them, and handed over the human's limp form to  
his friends' awaiting arms. All eyes were directed on the two creatures before them,  
hushed whispers racing through the crowd. Thrash turned to leave but was stopped by a  
small hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Thank you," the wounded man cried to him with gasped breaths, "if it wasn't for you, I  
would've been splattered all over the pier."  
  
"No problem." Thrash gave him a quick smile. "Gargoyles protect. Tell your friends."   
With that, he retreated from their view and scaled the building from where they had lept  
from. He climbed to the top, only to see Ares rubbing his shoulders and wincing in pain.   
"You okay?" he asked.  
  
"I'm...fine. I'll be better after a good day's sleep." Ares smiled at his younger charge.   
"Felt pretty good, didn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess this whole protect and serve thing crap isn't as bad as I thought." he  
replied, joining his father on the ledge alongside, and soon fading into the night, heading  
for their home.  
  
****************************************  
  
Within the confines of a simple white border, a happier moment from the past had been  
captured with the flash of a camera. Slender white talons held steady to a photograph of  
Rain and Thrash taken several years ago. Aurora stared into the picture frame for the  
longest time, barely moving from her position on the couch, and barely even noticing a  
hand of bronzed shade rubbing her left shoulder.  
  
Elisa placed herself at Aurora's side, holding a cup of coffee. She had offered one to the  
white gargoyle, but now the bittersweet liquid, resting on the end table, had turned cold  
in it's chalice. "They'll find them. Don't worry, from what I've heard, they know this  
city pretty well." she tried to comfort her, but knew her words were being lost to fear and  
paranoia running rampant through her mind.  
  
Her life now had been for her children, the last remnants of a proud clan, murdered by  
masked men, lacking enough courage to even show their faces to their victims. Without  
her young hatchlings, her life would perhaps languish in agony and regret.  
  
The aching silence withered to the sound of an aged stride of taloned feet on the rocky  
surface. Aurora whirled around to see Magellan entering the room from the Grotto  
entrance. "Any luck?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"I'm sorry, child, but I couldn't find either of them anywhere. I explored all their usual  
haunts and saw neither hide or hair of them. I'll go back out later." He sat down beside  
her, and placed his arms around her shoulders.  
  
Elisa noticed their eyes again, so alike. Even their features looked somewhat similar.  
  
"Where could they be?" Aurora buried her face as she brought her knees up to her chin.   
"My baby girl, where could she have gone to? I didn't mean to raise my voice at her. If  
only I could apologize..."  
  
"You don't have to." A new voice whispered from the side of the room. The three on  
the couch looked up to see Rain enter the Grotto followed by Goliath.  
  
"RAIN!!!" Aurora lept up and ran to the green gargess, wrapping her arms around her  
body as soon as she reached her. "Where have you been? I was worried sick! I'm so  
sorry for not trusting you. I'm..."  
  
"Whoa, Aurora. It's okay, I'm all right." The younger gargoyle pulled from her embrace  
and looked up into Aurora's grief stricken gaze. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I  
never meant to yell at you or hurt your feelings."  
  
"I never should have told you what to do. I know I'm not your mother and..."  
  
"But you are, you've always been there for me. You always took care of me, you were  
always there when I needed you, always treated me like I was the most special person in  
the world. I love you just as much as my real mother." The green female rested her head  
on Aurora's chest.  
  
"I love you too, my baby girl," Aurora whispered gently, pulling her daughter's smaller  
body tightly to her own, "I will always be there to protect you."  
  
Rain closed her eyes, held in the warm arms of Aurora, safe from what her deepest fears  
could ever cast upon her. For one perfect moment, all the pain, all the anger, simply  
washed away in the frosted embrace of her guardian.  
  
Elisa deepened her stance into Goliath's massive stead, their eyes meeting. She knew her  
mate had something to do with Rain's return and patted his chest to thank him.  
  
Unnoticed by the crowd, Magellan ascended slowly from the couch and padded to the  
archway that led to the rookery, his sensitive ears catching an unusual sound, but  
somehow familiar. He slowly crept down the stairs to investigate, leaving the others to  
their melodrama, too involved to heed a pair of shadows entering their underground  
domain.  
  
"Rain, thank eternity we have found you." Ares rushed up to his mate and daughter and  
wrapped his wings around them both.  
  
Thrash came up behind and leaned on Aurora's shoulder. She turned to quickly and  
gingerly, run a slender talon down the length of his beak, a similar caress from his youth.   
In recent times he would have pulled away, annoyed at what he thought to be a childish  
gesture, but now, he reveled at his maternal protector's delicate touch.  
  
Ares stepped back and stared at his family, studying each member with new eyes before  
addressing them in a commanding tone quite unlike his usual manner, "It is time we  
made ourselves known to the humans. I know it is a risk, but we cannot live our entire  
lives down here. We are gargoyles, and we shall not let those who fear us stop us from  
protecting our city."  
  
Rain looked at her father with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, my daughter," Aurora answered, "I was recently...convinced that life should be  
lived to the utmost. Why don't we invite these friends of yours to meet the rest of our  
family."  
  
"I would like that. But if my friends are coming, than Thrash's have to come too." All  
eyes were directed on the orange gargoyle as he shrugged.  
  
"Your friends?!" Aurora gasped, and chided her charge with nothing but an accusing  
glower.  
  
Rain just laughed and waved to her brother, gaining a scowl in response. The adults  
rolled their eyes, knowing their children were back to their regular selves.  
  
"Thanks a lot, squirt."  
  
"No problem...Theodore."  
  
"Shut up, turd, you know I hate that name!"  
  
"Ahem!!" An exuberant argument was broken by a loud clearing of the throat. The  
gargoyles and human gathered there turned to see Magellan standing by the rookery  
archway. "As much as I hate to break up this Kodak moment," he announced satirically,  
"but I think you should come with me downstairs...your egg is hatching."  
  
****************************************  
  
Led by Aurora, the clan tore down the rookery stairs after they had recovered from the  
initial shock and surrounded the egg. It was indeed ready to hatch, moving slightly, and a  
piece had already broken off the top. The Canadian clan moved in closer, with Goliath  
and Elisa remaining a distance behind, allowing them the intimacy of the moment. Yet  
they stayed near, straining their eyes to bear witness to the birth of a new life.  
  
Aurora quickly removed the parts of the incubator, and as the machine fell away, the now  
unfettered egg came into better view. She glided a simple stroke over the egg's smooth  
surface, her eyes teared with astonishment. "Come on," she urged, "you can do it."  
  
The egg swayed violently back and forth, large cracks rippling down the sides, and  
several pieces flaking off, falling to the floor. A small white hand poked through where  
the hole had been widened considerably, covered in a red viscous substance, invoking a  
collective gasp from the onlooking crowd.  
  
Rain immediately darted to a large near the side of the room, and filled a large, plastic  
tub full of warm water and grabbed several towels.  
  
The egg continued to break away, until all movement ceased. Aurora moved a trembling  
hand closer, and suddenly the top half exploded, revealing the occupant, a small white  
hatchling. Aurora took a towel from Rain and started to wipe off some of the crimson  
uteral lining. She cleared the mouth and throat of the small child and suddenly the room  
was filled with a loud cry. The child screamed at being released from it's home and  
kicked the remaining shards of egg from it's body.  
  
Elisa and Goliath slipped in closer, the slender human's eyes glued upon what she had  
only heard about in stories weaved from Wyvern's past. Aurora carefully plucked the  
crying whelp from the cold metal surface, the first touch of mother and child creating an  
instant connection between them, and placed it into the awaiting warm bath water,  
cleaning the rest of the sticky goo from it's skin. Once clean, the waiting folds of a soft  
blue towel met the baby's weary form, as did many pairs of curious eyes.  
  
It was a girl, with radiant white skin and innocent blue eyes comparable only to her  
mother. She possessed the wings of her father and small spikes covered her body. Her  
soft black hair fell in wisps around her head. With four fingers and three toes, and a trail  
of tiny spurred bumps running from the back of her neck to the tip of her diminutive  
lashing tail.  
  
Aurora dragged her knuckles down the child's brow and she stopped crying, directing  
newborn eyes up to a blur of family gathered around her. She blinked once, and  
attempted to ascertain what those shapes hovering over her could be. She eventually  
gave up and curled into the blanket held in the arms of her mother. "A girl." Aurora  
breathed wistfully.  
  
"A girl." Ares repeated her words, feeling faint.  
  
"Oh man, she's beautiful. Her skin glows like crystal." Rain took a closer look, as  
Thrash and Magellan crowded in behind her. Aurora turned to Goliath and Elisa,  
allowing them to come closer. Aurora handed the baby to Elisa, and the human accepted,  
taking the resting hatchling into her arms.  
  
"God, she's covered in spikes. Am I ever glad you only have small brow ridges, Big Guy,  
or giving birth to your kid would be murder." she joked as her husband reached around  
her to run his talon down the child's face. The white hatchling grabbed his finger and  
squeezed, causing him to laugh. "She's amazing, Aurora." Elisa murmured quietly as she  
handed the baby back.  
  
Aurora faced her golden mate. "What shall we name her?"  
  
"Crystal..." Rain whispered once more.  
  
"Crystal." Aurora echoed as Ares nodded his agreement. "My beautiful daughter Crystal.   
Welcome to the world. Hopefully it treat you far better than it did us. But...if not, we  
will always be there to protect you." She looked back at her family. "All of us."  
  
Goliath and Elisa stepped back to give the expanded family their privacy. She felt his  
massive arms wrap around her stomach and cross the womb which carried their own  
baby. Hands of the strength to rip steel, yet hands of the tenderness of barely a passing  
cloud. She smiled and placed her slender copper hands on his lavender talons, leaning  
her head back on his chest as he brought his chin to rest on her lush, ebony hair. "You  
know, I can't wait until our baby is born. To be surrounded by so much love..."  
  
"Our child will be even more beautiful, my Elisa, it will be loved like no other child in  
this world."  
  
****************************************  
  
A day had passed on with the embrace of stone slumber, and the small child had  
effectively stolen the attention of her family the following night. Aurora would never let  
Crystal out of her sight, and her already doting father would always remain close. A  
marvel of new life they had waited for so long, they had almost forgotten about the  
Manhattan couple when they said their good-byes. They needed to get home to their own  
lives and Elisa needed to deliver the essential evidence.  
  
"Thank you, my friend." Ares grabbed Goliath's hand in a warrior's shake. "You have  
given us more than you could ever realize."  
  
"We appreciated your hospitality. Thank you for allowing us to witness this wonderful  
event, I have not seen an egg hatch for more than a thousand years."  
  
"We will be forever in your debt for helping us." Aurora added, with baby Crystal in her  
arms.  
  
"Hey, I've never seen a gargoyle born before, so I guess we're even." Elisa replied, while  
giving the small child a kiss on the forehead. "If you ever need anything, please call us.   
You know where we are." The couple took their leave of the mother and child, and the  
rest of the family, before heading out into the warm summer night. But held back, when  
a high pitched voice called out to them.  
  
Rain slipped through the rock opening and quickly sauntered up to them. "I thought I  
might escort you back to the hotel." She watched with a smile as Goliath scooped Elisa  
from the ground and take to the air. She followed behind, until they reached the terrace  
of their hotel room.  
  
Upon landing, Elisa turned to the small gargess. "So, what's the real reason you came  
with us?" She shifted into cop mode as she interrogated the female.  
  
"I just wanted to ask you something..." She looked down slightly as if embarrassed. "I  
was just wondering...if sometime, I could come to New York and visit the castle?"  
  
"You would be most welcome." Goliath replied as she quickly grabbed his hand, a large  
smile forming on her young face.  
  
"Great!! Perhaps you can show me the sights, and I can meet the others in your clan. I  
hear there are some available young guys." Rain teased as she hopped on the railing,  
waved goodbye and disappeared from the couple's sight.  
  
Elisa slid the glass door closed behind Goliath as they entered their room. "Well, I don't  
know about you, Big Guy, but I feel pretty damn good. And to think, you didn't want me  
to come." Elisa placed slumped onto the bed, glaring at her husband. "Still have any  
doubts?"  
  
Goliath remained silent, as he climbed onto the edge of the bed and slowly crawled  
towards her.  
  
She moved back as fast as her enlarged stomach would allow, as her mate beared down  
upon her. Elisa eventually reached the headboard and was stopped in her tracks, trapped  
within the glow of his eyes. She felt his lips upon her own, and reached behind his neck  
into his thick sable hair.  
  
"Remind me never to argue with a Maza again, my lady," he laughed to himself and  
kissed down his wife's soft neck, "I always seem to lose."  
  
****************************************  
  
His book had been abandoned, haphazardly tossed away onto the back seat and his  
attention drawn elsewhere. Goliath centered his gaze beyond the tinted glass and into the  
scenery roaring past. The Maza's journey back to Manhattan had been a silent one, with  
nothing but the soft hiss of the radio.  
  
The entire ride home, Elisa peeked over her shoulder every few minutes, only to catch  
sight of a very peculiar smile cast upon his lips, and she knew why. A new clan had been  
discovered. A new life had been brought into this world. A new beginning for the six  
members of the Canadian clan. His race had grown bigger, stronger. Perhaps now, he  
didn't feel quite as alone anymore.  
  
Within her mind the child stayed, her thoughts ever drifting to the hatchling born before  
her eyes. So small and so beautiful, she still could not fathom how those of her kind  
could ever harm such an innocent baby. She shivered in her own fears and uncertainty,  
as eight months of collective dread came to the surface. She gasped as a massive hand  
pressed onto her stomach.  
  
"Do not be afraid, my Elisa," Goliath hushed a softened breath past her ear as he moved  
up behind her seat, "in one month, our baby will be born and it will be cherished, loved,  
and will be safe."  
  
Her hand immediately grabbed his and she squeezed with all her might, grazing his  
fingers across her lips, and holding his palm against her chest. Her husband had once  
again strengthened her heart with an absolute resolve, and through his vow and by his  
side, would she forever be brave enough to fight for her family, past, present, and future.   
"I have no doubt about that, Big Guy," she replied, "no doubt at all." 


End file.
